Is children's self-control deteriorating? : Change in self-regulation and environment.

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Three hundreds and ninety six preschoolers were evaluated their self-regulation by caregivers and teachers respectively in 2002. A part of children were also examined their self-regulating behaviors in a newly developed experimental setting. Results indicated that the self-regulative behaviors of preschoolers changes with situations. The ratings of caregivers and teachers are not highly correlated. Experimentally evaluated self-regulative behaviours reflects some aspects of children's rated regulation but not all of them.Two hundreds and one preschoolers were rated again in the next year by teachers and the change of self-regulation was investigated. Compared the results from cross-sectional study in 2002 to that from longitudinal study in 2002-2003, it is suggested that the development of self-control and self-assertion are likely to underestimated in the cross-sectional study because of cohort effects.Taking account with this results and the other precedent studies together, children's self-regulation develops significantly from the fourth to the fifth years of life, and grow slowly after that.